Brush hanger



R. J. SIMONS BRUSH HANGER May 5, 1936,

Filed April 16, 1955 INVENTOR. BYJ%&7Z' J 6077201.

Mad

ATTORNEY.

Patented May 5, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFIE 2 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in holders or hangers for brushesand the like and is directed more particularly to an improved holder orhanger for paint brushes and the like.

It is a principal object of the invention to provide a hanger or holderwhich is simple in form so as to be economical to manufacture and whichis adapted to hold paint brushes or the like above a receptacle in sucha way as to prevent the brushes from becoming objectionably dryor.stiff.

t is a further object of the invention to provide a brush hanger orholder which is substantially spring-like in construction so that it mayhave a yielding grip on the brushes associated therewith.

Also because of the novel construction of the device of this inventionit is adapted to be yieldably, yet firmly, associated with receptaclesof various diameters and in such a way that the brushes are safely andconveniently disposed above a desired receptacle, such as a paint can.

The problem of properly caring for their brushes has long troubledpainters. Hitherto it has been the practice, when the brushes are not inuse, particularly during the night, to either leave the brushes in thecan or on a work bench or the like. The disadvantage of leaving thebrushes in a can is the fact that contact with the bottom of the can andthe caked sediment usually found therein results in the bristles of thebrushes becoming curled and caked up so that it is necessary to bend andactually chop the brushes with a knife or the like in order to placethem in good working condition. Or, on the other hand, if the r brush isexposed to the air as when placed on a bench or the like it becomesstiff and excessively dry so that it is no longer in proper condition.

The device of this invention, however, overcomes these disadvantages.Not only does my new holder make it possible for the brushes to be heldin a receptacle, such as a paint can, in such a way that the bristlesare out of contact with the bottom of the can but the brushes are alwaysconveniently at hand. Furthermore, the device is so arranged that paintbrushes of various sizes may all be held thereby at about the samedistance relative to the bottom of the can.

Various other novel features and advantages of the invention will becomemore apparent after a reading of the following description and referencewill be had to the accompanying drawing,

wherein:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of the device of this invention;

P Fig. 2 is a partial side elevational view of the device shown in Fig.1;

Fig. 3 is an end elevational view of the same; and

Fig. 4 is a side elevational view showing the device associated with areceptacle with a plurality of brushes indicated by dash lines to ex- 5plain the use of the device.

Referring now to the drawing more in detail,

.ie invention will be fully described.

It is especially desirable with devices of this kind that they be notonly simple in form and 10 efficient in use but that they be economicalto manufacture. My device is relatively inexpensive .and is formed of aunitary piece of spring wire 2.

The member 2 is, according to this invention, bent intermediate its endsa plurality of times 15 to provide a plurality of adjacently disposedspaced bars 3 connected by spacers E in such a way that a plurality ofadjacently disposed openended U-shaped slots 8 are formed with the openend of each slot inverted relative to the open 20 ends of the slots 8adjacent thereto. That is to say, a pair of adjacent bars 4 areconnected together at adjacent ends by a spacer 6 with one of the bars lconnected at its other end to another bar by another spacer B. 25

According to the preferred form of the invention, the slots 8 formed inthis manner may be of various widths so as to accommodate brushes ofvarious sizes and thicknesses, as will presently appear. 30

In the preferred form shown the intermediate or centrally disposed slots3 are more or less greater in width than those at the opposite sidesthereof. This is in order that the brushes of greater thickness can beheld between the middle bars t while the brushes of less thickness maybe held between the outer bars.

As stated above, the wire 2 is spring-like. This is so that the bars 4may be compressed together to shorten the length of the device so thatit may be caused to accommodate cans of various diameters, as willappear.

According to the invention, the wire 2 is so bent that the bars 3 areall in substantially the same plane. This is desirable so that when thedevice 45 is not in use it lies relatively flat and does not occupy toomuch space. Thus it may be conveniently handled or stored away.

The opposite end portions of the wire 2 are formed to provide what maybe called retaining portions. These preferably take the form of loops asshown in Fig. 3 and are provided by bending the portions of the wireimmediately adjacent the outermost bars i downwardly to provide avertical part It, then transversely of the device to According to thisinvention, the vertical parts Ill are offset inwardly as shown in Figs.2 and 4 to form shoulders I 4. These are adapted to function in a mannernow about to be described.

In use, the spring-like device of the invention is compressed so thatthe bars 4 are resiliently spaced and so that the length of the deviceis shortened. In this way, the device may then be inserted in a can orthe like C, as shown in Fig. 4, with the shoulders [2 bearing on the rimof the can at opposite sides thereof, and allowed to expand again sothat it assumes a concavely curved position. Not only does thecompression of the device result in the brushes being firmly yetresiliently engaged but its concave curvature makes it possible forbrushes of various lengths to be held at the same height relative to thebottom of the can.

That is to say, according to the preferred form of the invention, thedevice is so formed and of such length that when it is compressed andinserted in a can as shown in Fig. 4, the bars 4 extend in aconcavely-curved plane above the can with the centrally disposed slots 8in a higher plane than those at opposite sides of the can. Thus a brushwhich is relatively long in length may be gripped between the bars 4 inthe middle of the device while the shorter brushes may be clampedbetween the bars at opposite sides of the device so that the brushesextend within the can at about the same distance below the level of thepaint or other liquid in the can.

While I have described the invention in great detail and with respect toa preferred form thereof, it is not desired to be limited thereto sincemany changes and modifications may be made therein without departingfrom the spirit and scope of the invention. What it is desired to claimand secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. As a new article of manufacture, a brush hanger device of the classdescribed for associating with a receptacle of a certain diameterconsisting of a single piece of spring-like material of greater lengththan the diameter of the receptacle bent intermediate its opposite endsa plurality of times to have a plurality of alternately disposedsubstantially parallel spaced bars and spacer portions and having itsopposite end portions bent downwardly at approximately right angles tothe endmost bars and then transversely into parallelism with said barsand finally upwardly again to form bearing portions which are normallyspaced apart a distance greater than the diameter of the receptacle, alladapted and arranged whereby the bent piece of spring-like material maybe compressed so that the distance between said bearing portions is lessthan the diameter of the receptacle whereupon the device may beassociated with a receptacle with the transverse parts of its bearingportions bearing on and urged outwardly against the inner sides ofopposite sides of the receptacle.

2. As a new article of manufacture, a brush hanger device of the classdescribed for associating with a receptacle of a certain diameterconsisting of a unitary piece of wire of greater length than thediameter of said receptacle bent intermediate its ends a plurality oftimes to provide a plurality of alternately arranged spaced bars andspacer portions which are normally in substantially the same plane withone another, the opposite end 6 portions of said piece of wire beingbent angularly relative to said bars and spacer portions to form bearingmembers for engaging the opposite sides of a receptacle, said bearingmembers being normally spaced apart a greater distance than the diameterof said receptacle and said wire being spring-like, all adapted andarranged whereby said piece of wire may be compressed so as to move saidbars and bearing members towards one another whereupon the device may beassociated with a receptacle with said bars disposed in concave curveand said bearing members bearing on and urged outwardly against theinner sides of opposite sides of the receptacle.

ROBERT J. SIMONS.

